A New Day
by Rain'sMistress
Summary: A/U Emily Fields moves into Rosewood her senior year. What happens when Paige is one of the girls and Emily is the fresh new outsider? Read to find out. No A in this.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N : I wrote this before I started writing Life As I Know It, but I chose it over this one. I decided to post it anyways. I found it harder to write in Emily's POV than Paige's. Paige is always the new girl and I thought it'd be different if Emily was the new girl for once. I wrote like the first three chapters so far. I will post the next chapter in a few days. Tell me what you think about it. :)**

* * *

Change is always hard, no matter when it is or where you're standing while it's happening. Change could be good, but who knows, it could be horrible. My venture on a new life starts today. My mother got transferred to Rosewood , Pennsylvania – home of the weirdest events in America. I Googled Rosewood when she told me that we were moving there and I found that this small quaint town had a quite strange past. My mom told me that I was born there, but when I was just a few months old, my father was shipped to California. We lived in California for a few years before he was sent to Florida. After Florida came Texas. We stayed in Texas for a few years, until my father was once again based in California. My mom was tired of doing things on his schedule so when she got the offer in Rosewood, she jumped at the offer. My senior year in high school, and I am dragged away from all my friends and swim mates. I can't blame her though – following my father everywhere is hard on her career and sometimes she needed to put herself first.

So here I am back in Rosewood, unpacking all the boxes in my room. There was already a shelf on the wall making it easy for me to find a place to put all my medals and trophies. I unpacked all my clothes into the drawers of my cabinet. "I need a break." I muttered to myself. There's no time like now to explore the town – better now than when it gets dark. "Mom! I'm going out for a walk! I'll be back later!" I yelled through the house, hoping she heard me.

"Don't come back too late, we'll head out to the Apple Rose Grill in a little bit for dinner! It's too unorganized for me to cook tonight! Be careful out there sweetie!" She yelled back from what I assumed was her room. I plugged in my earphones and walked out the door, starting my tour of this small town near Philadelphia.

I left the steps of my house and looked left and right, wondering which way to head. I decided to make a right and headed in that direction. The first thing I noticed was the house next to ours – not the house itself, but one of the tenants. On the porch of the two-story house was a short brunette. She was painting something and from the looks of it, she was very enveloped in it. I walked passed her house and was about to move along when I heard her voice, "Hey!"

I took my earphones out and shoved them in my jacket, "Hey."

"You're new here right? The house next door?" She asked as her eyes widened. I didn't think her eyes could actually get bigger, but I was mistaken.

"Yeah, I'm Emily. Emily Fields. I just moved here from California." I replied as I watched her trot over to me.

She put her hand out to me and I mirrored her, shaking her hand. "I'm Aria Montgomery." She said with a great big smile.

I smiled back, relieved to see a friendly face. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. You heading out for a look see? If you don't mind, I could be your tour guide. I seem to have lost my muse. I was just painting the grass growing over there." I thought about it for a moment, realizing that it couldn't hurt and I could possibly be making my first friend.

I nodded, "That'd be great. I would probably get lost and spend the entire night trying to find my way home," I joked. With that we started walking towards town. We got about four or five houses down, when a peppy blonde girl skipped her way over to us.

"Aria!" She had a smile as big as the Cheshire Cat, "And new girl? Hi! I'm Hanna! What's your name?" She reminded me much of my best friend back in California, always upbeat and smiling.

"Emily." I answered as we continued walking.

"You showing her the ropes 'round here? Mind if I join? Mom's driving me crazy. She expects me to do homework! On this beautiful day! We should be outside enjoying the fresh air and sun, not inside reading The Flies Lords!" Aria and I chuckled at her mistake.

"I think you mean The Lord of the Flies," I corrected as the chuckling subsided.

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Isn't that the same. Either way The Lord belongs to the Flies!"

"Ignore her. The saying, 'ignorance is bliss' is her motto." Aria said. We shared another laugh before we reached a small building. "This is the local library. Computers and books, pretty much." She pointed to her left. "Local pool. Outdoor is the recreational pool. Indoor is the lap pool. You just need to drop by and sign up for a card, if you want to enter." At least that was good, there was a lap pool just up the street from my house. Could come in handy, since my house doesn't have a pool.

We walked further into town, making small talk. I explained to her why I had to leave my prior home and a little bit about myself, "I was the captain of my team last year. The only junior to make captain, ever. I miss my teammates. We've all been together since freshman year. Kinda sucks that I had to leave them during our final year."

"That really does suck, I'm sorry." Aria sympathized.

Hanna jumped right in, "Does that mean you'll be joining The Sharks swim team?"

"Uh, I haven't though about it much. I guess so. It's probably my only chance to get into a good college without going into the crater called debt." I answered honestly.

"Oh you should meet Paige!" Hanna exclaimed excitedly, "You guys have swimming in common."

"She's awesome and all but just watch out. She can get a little intense when it comes to swimming." Aria warned.

"Don't you mean, any sort of competition at all? She can get really intense when it comes to a challenge. But she's all sorts of great. She's one of our best friends! Her and Spencer." Hanna continued to explain. "Spencer Hastings. Top of the class and most likely gonna valendictorian."

"Valedictorian," Aria corrected. Hanna rolled her eyes again and I was definitely amused by these two girls. They had their quirks, but they obviously loved each other. "Spencer is always ahead of the game when it comes to school. Head of the field hockey team. Mathletes. Historians. Name a subject and she's most likely the leader. If she's not, than Mona is. Mona is Spencer's only competition. She's the only one that can remotely keep up with Spencer. If you see the two of them about to butt heads, I suggest you turn around and leave."

"Or grab some popcorn and enjoy the show! Sometimes they get into these intense staring contests. It's kinda entertaining. You know, if you don't have anything better to do." Hanna chimed in, trying to turn the conversation down a lighter path. "Caleb!" She screamed, completely leaving her last thought in the dirt. A young attractive guy walked over to us and put his arm around Hanna, kissing her on the cheek. "Babe, this is Emily. She's new and we're showing her around. Wanna join us?" She asked him. Somewhere along the way, she remembered her manners, "You know, if she doesn't mind."

Caleb extended his hand and I shook it, "Caleb Rivers. Nice to meet you."

"Emily Fields. Nice to meet you too. And I don't mind if you want to join us. The more the merrier, I suppose." I offered with a smile.

"Thanks, but no thanks." He said politely before turning to Hanna, "I actually gotta go help Paige out. She somehow deleted her summer journal project this morning. I gotta go help her before she makes her laptop a lawn gnome by tossing it out her window." He gave her a kiss goodbye, "I'll see you at school. And have fun Emily. Welcome to Rosewood!" He turned and walked away from us.

"Caleb's my boyfriend. Super tech savvy. If you need any help with phones or computers then go to him."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I'm not not the best at technology myself, so he might help me when I delete my projects."

"Well we've made it to the center of Rosewood." Aria mentioned, "There's The Brew – best coffee in town. The Apple Rose Grille is down the road there." She said as she pointed to her left. "There's a clothing boutique around the bend. There's a photography shop right down there."

Hanna checked her watch, "Well, Em. It was a pleasure showing you around. Thanks for letting me join, but if I don't go home to the flies, then I can't go out with Caleb this weekend. I'll see you at school. You should join us for lunch, if you don't have anywhere else to sit yet! Buh-bye!" She waved cheerily as she turned around and left for her house.

"She's really..."

"Ecstatic?" Aria answered for me.

"I was gonna say happy, but yeah." I said with a small grin.

"She's not the brightest bulb in the batch, but she'll always be there for you, no matter what. She's an amazing person and I honestly couldn't imagine my life without her. She's always looking for the brightest point." Aria explained to me with a smile.

"Yeah I can tell." I was interrupted by the ringing of my phone. "Sorry. Excuse me." I answered my phone, "Mom?"

"Emily? Come home and we'll head to dinner."

"I'm actually right next to the grille. I can meet you there?" I responded.

"Okay honey. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Grab us a table?" She asked.

"Okay. See you in a bit." I hung up the phone and reverted my attention back to the short girl standing beside me, "Sorry. It's my mom. She wanted to have dinner at the grille." I explained. Feeling a little guilty that I was ditching her, I offered, "Would you like to join us? On me as a thank you for showing me around."

"Are you sure I'm not invading mother-daughter bonding time?" She asked back.

"I'm sure my mom will just be glad that I made a friend on my first trip out." I said with a reassuring smile.

"Okay then. Sure. Thanks." She thanked me happily.

We made our way to the restaurant in comfortable silence. Once we got there we grabbed a table and sat down. I studied the menu, "Suggestion?" I asked.

"The salads here are really good and Hanna's always raving about the burgers here. Either or."

"Thanks." Once I decided on the Asian Chicken Salad, I placed the menu down, patiently waiting for my mom. "So Aria. You know all about me. What can you tell me about yourself?"

"Honestly, not much to tell. I love the arts and when I'm not painting or drawing, I'm reading. I love the classics. I don't play any sports, nor do I want to. I'm pretty simple." She answered with a small smile. I looked passed her and saw Caleb walking down the street with a auburn haired girl. She definitely caught my eye. She was wearing a tank top to show off her tone arms and shorts to reveal the perfect set of calves. I guess I was very enamored by her because Aria turned around and tried to find where my attention was set.

She spoke up, "That's Paige McCullers, your soon to be teammate." I nodded unable to take my eyes off of this girl, "Like I said... she's quite the person. I hope you guys get along." Our conversation and my thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of my mother. She waved at me and walked over to our table.

"Mom this is Aria, she was showing me around town, so I thought it'd be nice if she joined us."

Aria stood up and shook my mom's hand, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fields. My name is Aria Montgomery. I hope you are adjusting to the new town!"

"Call me Pam. Did you say Montgomery? Are you by any chance Ella and Byron's little girl?" She nodded. "I haven't seen you were just a month or two. You've grown into a beautiful young woman. Thank you very much for showing my Emmy around.

"It was a pleasure. I think we are gonna be very good friends." She replied as they both took their seats.

Once we were all situated, the waiter came by and took our order. We ate dinner with my mom explaining how she lived in Rosewood for almost twenty years. She went to school with Hanna's, Aria's, Spencer's, and Paige's parents. She was particularly close with the Marin's and the Montgomery's. Dinner was soon over and we all got into my mom's car, heading back to our houses.

My mom parked her car in the driveway and we all got out, "Tell your parents I say hello and that I will head over once everything is set in my house."

"No problem, Pam!" Aria turned towards me, "Hey Em, do you need a ride to school tomorrow?" I was going to either have my mom drive me or walk, but I guess it'd be nice to show up at the school, who was familiar with it.

"Sure thanks! See you in the morning!" We parted ways and my mom and I reentered our new home. I stepped inside and looked around, examining the place that I'll be spending my next year in. It was still a mess, but it had home potential. Knowing my mom, this place will be just like our past homes within a week.

"Mom, I'm going to shower and get ready for bed. It's already a week into school and I'm sure I'll need to be fully rested for tomorrow. Good night!"

"Night sweetie! I'll probably already be gone by the time you get up tomorrow morning, so I will see you after school." I headed up the stairs, "I love you honey."

"Love you too mom. Good luck tomorrow."

I entered my room and fell back onto my mattress. My room was almost done, although there were still a few boxes left laying around. I looked to my right and on my nightstand was a picture of me and my best friend. I looked at the clock – it was 6:15 in California right now. I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed two on my speed dial.

After a few rings, I heard her voice, "It's only been a day, you miss me that much already?"

"Pshhh. I was just hoping you weren't dying without me by your side," I joked back.

"You wish! On a more serious note, how's P.A. compared to the C.A.?"

"It's alright. I met a few new people already. They seem cool enough. Showed me around town." I answered as I looked back on the past few hours.

"Any hotties?" I thought hard about her question for a few seconds, "Oh my god! You already met someone?"

"I didn't say anything!" I retorted.

"You didn't have to! The silence speaks for itself, Em! So who is she?" Courtney was the only one in this world who knew that if I had liked anyone, it was a she, rather than a he. I've considered telling my parents, but the time was never right, so I held it in. "So who is she? Who is she?!" She yelled straight into my ear.

"I don't know yet. She's apparently on the swim team. That's all I really know about her, except that she's pretty competitive. I haven't personally met her yet – I just saw her from across the street." I responded candidly.

"Well you best give me the deets about her when you get them! I gotta go, my mom's calling me for dinner. I miss you bestie! Good luck tomorrow!"

"Yeah, I miss you too. See ya." I hung up the phone and took a deep breath in and out, before grabbing a towel and heading to the bathroom attached to my room.

I took a long hot shower and got ready for bed. I was nervous for school the following day, but it couldn't be that bad. I've done this many times before, just not in the past few years. The last time I transferred school was the end of my eighth grade year, and I was just finishing unpacking the last of my boxes, when my mom had told me to repack them. I pushed all those thought from my head and tucked myself into bed. Surprisingly sleep came easy and I was out like a burnt lightbulb.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Like I said, I've been super busy. I just had the chance to edit this chapter before throwing it out there. I will put up chapter when I get the chance to edit it. I should have more free time in about two weeks, so you should expect a new update for Life as I Know It, shortly after the two weeks is up. I Love the reviews I got for this one. Thank you very much! You guys are one of the bigger reasons, why I write. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Tell me what you think. I know it's really different from what I usually write.**

**Guest #1 - Thank you. Paige is really easier, but that's why I opted to do Life As I Know It rather than this one in the beginning. I would love to continue this one though. It's really a challenge I'd like to accomplish. Don't worry, I won't abandon Life As I Know It until it's complete! Thanks for reading and reviewing. Tell me what you think!**

**Caligurl18 - Thanks for the review. I hope you find this chapter up to par. :)**

**MindFullOfStories - Thanks, Lil. I Know. i always thought it's be interesting if their roles were switched. A TOTAL AU. lol. Tell me what you think of this one.**

**Nae10 - It is different, but I hope just as good. :) Thanks for reading!**

**Haley - Interesting is good, I hope. I really hope you'll like this next one! Anything you don't like?**

**Del - Thank you! Yeah. There aren't many fics with just Emily's POV. It's a weird change for me. Well get ready to meet Paige! And I chose Aria because I loved the way that her and Emily interacted in the series. Tell me if you enjoy this chapter. :) Thanks for the read!**

**Guest #2 - I wrote more! Well I edited more to be correct. Enjoy!**

**mysunshine - I'm glad you like it! Do you still like it? :P**

**Rachel Manlop - Is your mind free for the Paily feels. I hope so! I hope this doesn't disappoint. **

**Jezzabelle-at-sea - Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I'm glad you noticed the change! And there will be more Caige later... I think.. I want there to be more Caige. Well find out after the third chapter, when I start up again. I hope you like this as much.**

**And without any further ado, A New Day Chapter 2!**

* * *

I was ready and out on the Montgomery's porch for twenty minutes before Aria made her appearance. "Sorry. You've been waiting here long?"

"Nope, just got here." I lied.

"Well let's go. You probably want to talk to Coach Fulton about the Sharks before class starts. We're still pretty early, so you can get all you classes before going to the natatorium. I'll show you around for a bit, kay?" She suggested kindly.

"Yeah. Thanks. I hope I'm not too much trouble for you."

"It's fine, Emily. Let's go." We got into her car and headed to Rosewood High School, Home of the Sharks.

"This is the main office right here," she pointed to a small office near the front of the school, "And that building with the big 'ol shark on it, is the natatorium. I've gotta head to my locker to grab my books, but text me if you get lost." She took my phone out of my hand and entered her number. I instantly texted her before she even turned around.

Thanks :) -Emily

No problamo ;) -Aria

I entered the small office and stood at the counter, "Hi, my name is Emily Fields. I'm new here and I need my schedule, please." Without even even looking up, the grumpy, tired looking woman handed me a folder with my name on it.

"The principal is busy at the moment. This is where he'll usually show you the ropes, but like I said... busy. He'll call you up to the office later to explain the rules." She continued to tap on her keyboard, practically ignoring me. "Have a wonderful first day at Rosewood High School," I couldn't help but think that she was being completely sarcastic. I left the office after a quick mumbled thank you. I surveyed the area and decided to check out the pool.

I flipped through the contents of the folder, which included a map of the school. First period – English. The map showed that my first classroom was nearby, so I walked to the natatorium. I looked up and studied the big shark on the front of the small building before entering. As soon as I stepped through the initial doors, I spotted a set of double doors and made my way through them as well. I instantly heard the sounds of water splashing echoing against the walls. I made my entrance as quietly as possible and stood by the door watching a girl flow through the pool as if she was born and raised in water. She was incredible. And not to mention fast. Definitely someone that I could be leveled with. If all The Sharks were as fast as her, than I have another thing coming. I was a little cocky coming into this, which makes me a bit unsure of myself now.

I exited the pool as quietly as I came in and searched for Coach Fulton's office. I traveled through the empty locker room and finally found a door that had a paper cut out shark on it. Below the shark was a name plate – Coach Fulton – Swimming. I rapped on the door and waited a few seconds before I heard her call me in. She looked up at me with a smile, "Sit down, please." I did ask she ordered and returned the smile,

"I'm Emi-"

She quickly interrupted me, "Emily Fields. Trust me when I say that I know who you are." I raised my eyebrows at her questioningly, "I've heard of you. When the principal read your transcript, he gave it to me. I looked you up and I must say. You are quite the swimmer. I didn't know if you were gonna show up or not, but I'm glad you did. We could use a fresh shark like you." She was smiling from ear to ear, "I've seen you swim in the videos, but I think I want a front row seat. Do you mind changing into costume and going for a trial run? My best swimmer is still out there and I really want to see you up against her." I thought about it for a second, contemplating my answer. She was pretty fast and I'm not sure I could keep up, but if the Coach wanted it, then I would surely have to accept her offer. I gave her a nod with a reassuring smile before we left and made our way to the pools.

We were standing there watching her swim for a moment before Coach Fulton blew her whistle. The girl finished her lap and climbed out of the pool, "What's up Coach?" She took off her goggles and glanced over in my direction before once again averting her attention back to the woman standing next to me. To my surprise I found that it was Paige who was swimming elegantly in the pool this entire time.

"This is Emily Fields. She's new here and I'd like to see her swim against you. Okay?"

The swimmer looked back over at me, studying me for a few seconds before releasing her answer to the Coach, "Sure."

"That is if you don't mind getting your ass getting handed to you," She said to me with a smirk. This girl was cocky... too cocky, but there was still something about her that attracted me.

I shook the thought from my mind and got into my competitive mode. I didn't answer her, instead I just put my swim cap and goggles on, making my way over to the pool. I got on the starting block closest to me and waited for Paige to get on beside me. Once she she stepped on, she put her goggles back on and we both got into position. I took a deep breath in and out - I had one chance to really impress the coach and this was it.

Another deep breath was taken before I heard the whistle. I kicked off and dove into the water, going as far as I could before coming back up for air. I swam as hard as I could, feeling my muscles burn with every stroke. I was one with the water. Not paying attention to anything else, but each stroke, each kick, and each breath of air I was allowed. Then came the wall. I flipped and used every piece of energy my legs had left and kicked off the wall, trying to get as much of a lead as possible. As soon as the race started, it over when we touched the wall. We both got out of the water and stared at the coach, mentally asking the one question we were both asking, "Who won?"

She smiled at the both of us before hesitantly answering, "Well looky here. I didn't think it was possible but Miss Fields here has our McCullers, beat by half a stroke. Congratulations and welcome to the team, Emily. We could use someone like you. I have a feeling that this will be a fantastic season for us sharks. I have to go set up the roster and add you into the system, but you're welcome to use the pool, anytime you'd like. Come back in after school and I will give you our welcome package." She smiled at me again and gave me a pat on the back before leaving the natatorium.

I was so excited and shocked about the win, that I was totally oblivious to the scowl that was glued onto the auburn haired beauty standing next to me. "You just caught me off-guard. I've been in the pool for hours and I was worn. There won't be a second time, trust me on that," She finished with a scoff before storming off into the locker room.

"Well nice to meet you, too," I muttered under my breath. After a few moments of catching my breath, I looked up at the clock on the wall, "Shit! I'm gonna be late!" I had ten minutes to get cleaned and dressed before the primary bell rang.

"Hi, my name is Emily Fields. I'm new here." I handed the young handsome teacher, my transfer paper and he smiled at me.

As he looked through the piece of paper he replied, "Well, it's nice to meet you. My name is Ezra Fitz, but like the rest of the class, you can address me as Mr. Fitz. I'm going to be your English teacher for the rest of the year. You can grab a seat anywhere and we'll get started soon." I surveyed the classroom and decided on a seat in the back of the room, next to a window.

I took my seat and gazed out the window, waiting for the tardy bell to ring, and the class to start. I was lost in though about my new life when I heard my name being called by a familiar voice, "Emily! I thought that was you." I smile at the short, wide-eyed girl that was smiling straight back at me.

"Yeah! At least there's a well-known face in this crowd." There was something about her smile that was so comforting and inviting that it made my some of my nerves float away.

"So did you check out the pool? Talk to the coach?" She inquired as she sat down right beside me.

"Yeah. Apparently, I'm the newest shark. She had me race Paige earlier."

"Really? Don't take the losing too badly. She's been at this for most of her life. Her dad is pretty intense, she's practically been living in water all her life." She defended.

"Actually... I won the r-"

"What?!" She interrupted loudly enough to gain the attention of the students in the room. I sank into the seat a bit, discomforted by the attention.

"What happened?" Hanna chimed in, as she walked over to us.

"Emily beat Paige in a race this morning!" She replied in a hushed tone.

"What?!" Hanna mimicked. Once again the class's attention was shot towards us. I sank even lower into my seat, almost falling off in the process. "You beat Paige?! How is that possible?" She announced as loudly. We were interrupted by a scoff coming from behind Hanna.

"Showing off, I see..." I heard Paige say. "I told you that I was tired, and that won't happen again." Great... I share a class with the girl who hates me the most in this world. And now she thinks I'm showing off to the world that I beat the undefeated Paige McCullers.

"OKAY CLASS! SETTLE DOWN!" Mr. Fitz exclaimed.

'Thank God.' I thought to myself, 'That could have gotten so much more awkward." Paige took a seat beside a tall, thin, brunette who was glaring at me just as intensely as Paige was. 'This is gonna be a long year.' I thought with a sigh.

I pulled out my notebook and a pencil before I once again heard my name, "Emily Fields, please stand up and introduce yourself to us. Intro with three random things about yourself."

I could feel my cheeks heat up as I stood up, "Hi. I'm Emily. I am from Southern California. Uh, three things about myself?" I thought for a quick moment before answering, "Err... I was born in Rosewood, but we left before I could even crawl. Two. I swim. And three. Umm, and I like to read?" I quickly took a seat and prayed for all the eyes in the room to revert to the teacher.

"Thank you, Miss Fields. Alright, so let's get started. I know that it's only the second week of class, but your first partnered assignment is starting this week and will be due by the end of next week. So let's partner up!" The classroom simultaneously stood up to get to their friends, but was interrupted by Mr. Fitz clearing his throat, "Nice try! It's going to be a mirrored partnership. Whoever is on the exact opposite side of the room is your partner. That means Andrew and Veronica are partners. Emily and Paige." We both looked at each other from across the back row, in awe.

'This is NOT happening.'

"You guys can get together tomorrow. Today I will get you ready and explain what you need to do." Mr. Fitz added.

I spent the rest of the class completely mortified of this new arrangement.

My next few classes sailed pretty smoothly, aside from Paige being my Science class, I had before lunch. I shared my History class with both Hanna and Aria, so that wasn't too bad. I contemplated Aria's lunch offer, but I assumed that she and Hanna were sitting with Paige, so I decided against it.

Instead of having lunch, I went into the natatorium and took off my shoes and socks, placing my feet inside the pool. I kicked the water around and laid back onto the floor. I closed my eyes and felt at peace for the first time all day. Something about the water and silence always calmed me when I needed it.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps and someone saying, "Oh God. You're here? Are you following me everywhere?"

"I was here first, if you didn't notice." I replied without opening my eyes.

"Whatever. I'm glad I found you anyways. I challenge you to a rematch. Right here right now." Paige demanded. I opened my eyes to find another smirk planted on her face.

Just to wipe that smirk off her face I accepted and we both went to change.

"One lap decides the winner." She explained as we both stood on the starting block, properly dressed for the 'friendly' match. "Three." She started the count-off.

"Two." I continued.

"One." She finished and we both dived in. We both swam our hardest and in the end, I still had her beat by a stroke.

"Re-match! I was just getting warmed up!" I rolled my eyes at her suggestion as we hopped out of the pool.

We did just as we previously did, but this time she had me beat by a microsecond. Her smirk reappeared and all I wanted to do was wipe it off her face. "Again," I said as I removed myself from the pool.

We raced, again and again, until we were tied. I had won four races today and she had also won four. "Last one decides the winner." Paige decided.

We both got out of the pool and assumed our positions, but we were cut off by the sound of a girl's voice, "Paige, baby. Are you ready? You said you'd help me out. We only have ten minutes left of lunch!" I turned to find an attractive girl standing there by the door.

'Baby? Wait, Paige is gay, too?' I registered into my brain.

"One minute, babe." Paige retorted.

"No! We won't have enough time!" She complained in a whiny voice. Paige looked back and forth between me and her girlfriend.

She reluctantly got off the block and turned to me, "Later, Fields." I stood there motionless on the block as they both left the room and transferred themselves into the locker room. I sat there on the starting block for the rest of the lunch until the next bell rang. I quickly changed into my street clothes and jogged to my next class.

I sat in the back of my Trigonometry class and spaced out, remembering the lunch I just shared with the auburn haired girl. She was obnoxious, cocky, and annoying, but there was something about her that was alluring. Who am I kidding? All of her is alluring. All of her, obnoxious, cocky, annoying self is alluring.

I was pulled out of my trance when a piece of paper was thrown on my desk. I opened the note and read it.

Final re-match during our swim period. Get ready. I'm gonna open up a can of whoop-ass on you. -Paige.

I glanced up and found the back of her head at the front of the classroom. 'Great. Another class with her. This is really going to be a long year.'

We both had a swim period for our final class, because we were both on the swim team. I guess that we were going to settle what was previously interrupted.

We were both dressed again and standing in the exact same positions as we were during lunch, except this time, the rest of our swim mates were surrounding us. Word gets around fast that the new girl had the swim star beat. "Sorry about earlier. Shana gets needy sometimes. She really doesn't have much of boundaries. Two laps, back and forth. Get ready to lose, Fields."

"It's okay. It looked like you needed a break anyways." I threw back, giving her my own smirk. She returned it and the girls started counting down.

"ONE!"

We kicked off and dove straight into the water, putting our all into this final match. Paige had the lead from the start. I swam fast, but I saved a bit of my energy for the second lap – I didn't want to wear myself out before the second lap. We came up into the wall and I flipped kicking off into the wall, evening the distance. We continued to swim head to head, all the sounds of the girls yelling, blocked out. My only focus was winning this race. We came back to the initial wall and flipped again. The force of my kick gave me a fairly reasonable distance from her.

We rolled into the last wall and it was time to run the rest of my energy. I kicked off the wall with every bit that I had left and I could feel my body slowly dying. I could imagine that was how Paige also felt. She raced through my mind. I thought back to what Aria said about her dad and how much pressure she had. Great I had to think about that. I was in the lead, and was seconds from winning but for some reason, I couldn't understand, I threw the match. I slowed my stroke and gave her the chance to catch up, without giving away what I was doing to our audience.

The girls cheered and applauded Paige for winning the match, proving herself to everyone. We both stayed in the water momentarily resting ourselves. Our eyes connected and I knew instantly that she knew. She knew that I should have won. There was a look of confusion in her face as if she was wondering why I would do such a thing.

The sound of the whistle shut the entire room up and we watched Coach Fulton make her entrance. "Alright girls! That was enough fun! It's time to get down to work. We have our first match next month and we need to get ready for it! Split up into your best stroke and line up beside the bleachers!" Paige and I got out of the pool and followed her directions. I rolled my arms, stretching my muscles, as I tried to find where the butterflies were.

We all got changed at the end of the period and exited the locker room. Paige pulled me aside from the group and kept me inside the locker room with her. She made sure that no one was around before starting, "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" I played stupid.

"You threw the damn race! I know it! You had me, but you threw it!" She exclaimed.

I opted lying again, but decided against it, "You just needed the win more than I did. I'm the new girl and you are the captain. I have many more chances to kick your ass later, anyways."

She thought about my answer for a few moments, "You're not too bad Fields, but if you do that again, I'm gonna kill you. I like to win, yes, but I like to win fairly. My hard work got me to where I am. I didn't get here, because someone felt bad for me." She explained.

"Fine. This was a one time thing. I'll let you lose next time, okay?" I offered.

"Good," She said as she walked away, "See ya tomorrow, Fields."

"Fields. I like the sound of that." I said aloud to myself, once she made her exit. "Maybe it won't be so bad after all."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Hey! Yeah I know it's been a little while, but I finally got the chance to sit down and edit this third chapter. This is the last chapter that I had written. Is it worth continuing? Don't worry, if I start this, I won't stop Life As I Know It. Speaking of, I should be able to sit down and write the next chapter in the next week or two. It's been toooo long since I've really written, and it bothers me.

Thanks for the Faves, Follows, and Reviews! It means more than you think.

Nae10 - Yeah the build- up will continue. I like it slower like how a real relationship tends to go... but not so slow that they won't be Paily until the last chapter. Shouldn't be too long.

CiCi - A good different, I assume? I thought it's be interesting for the reversal. And yes, it was Spencer, McHastings for the win! Shana wasn't the original GF. It was some random chick named Christina, but when Shana was introduced in the show, I just changed the name. I like to use actual characters. This chapter is more about Emily, but that has to mean that the next one will be more about Paige right? Maybe.. Well see. ;) Thanks for reading, cici!

Del - Who doesn't like cocky!Paige every once in a while? Blooming.. yes. Something is surely blooming. You'll see. Aria will play a big part in this friendship as will Hanna and Spencer. They'll all play their parts. I just chose Aria because I love her silent and caring friendship with Emily in the show. I hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint.

Darkredeyes - Sorry this update wasn't so soon. I was just so busy that I couldn't even take a breather. Hope this was worth it. :)

mysunshine - Your review made me smile! :D Love is a strong word! LOL. I hope you still LOVE this chapter.

go-sullivan - No you're wrong... It is a point that they are BFFs.. It's just not THE point. But I like them together and they are so similar, that it works. And Em has it REAL bad. Hehehe.

MindFullOfStories- Hey Lil! Are you ready to analyze again? No? Well get ready! Emily and Paige have totally switched roles, but I'm still keeping them at least somewhat true to their characters. I wouldn't say she hates Paige, she's just trying to understand her better. And yes. That was Spencer.. Who else would Paige be with? No one! It's a blooming relationship. They're both gonna have an adventure this year, you'll just be seeing Emily's side of the adventure. I like to write for one POV so it keeps y'all wondering what's going on in the other person's head. Kinda like how we do in real life.

Thanks for the support and I really hope that you'll enjoy this next installment. I'm going back to drink my red now while I relax before I have to sleep in order to work tomorrow. I will try to update either this or Life As I Know It within the next couple weeks. C YA!

-rain

* * *

"Hey! Thanks for the ride again, Aria." I spoke as I closed the passenger door. "My bike should be getting here in a few days and I'll start taking it when it arrives."

She gave me her usual bright Aria smile, "It's not a problem, really. We're both heading in the same direction and I like the company. Hanna used to ride with me, but thank God she got her own car. She likes to take her sweet time every morning. We would get there a few minutes before the tardy bell rang." She laughed at the memory, allowing me to join along in laughter. "So, how was your first day?" She asked, changing the subject.

"It was okay. My teachers are nice enough and the students here aren't too bad. " I answered. "Getting back into swimming is fun too. I haven't been in a real pool in a few months, so I really do miss it."

"Wait, you haven't swam in months and you still beat Paige?" She asked back, awestruck. I nodded slowly. "Damn girl, that's impressive," she complimented. I lightly blushed at the compliment, still not used to all the attention.

"So what's up with her anyways." I asked, glad for the leeway into this conversation.

"Paige?" I nodded again. "Well... Paige is Paige. She's really easy going about most things, but when it comes to sport, she kinda gets into this competitive streak. Spencer is the same way. I don't think you've officially met Spencer. She sits right next to Paige in Ez- Mr. Fitz's class. They met when we were all younger. They played every sport imaginable and they were rivals in every single one. One day they decided to play for the same team, instead of opposing each other. Ever since then, they've been practically inseparable."

"I see." There was still one question on my mind, but I was hesitant to ask it. "So... what's up with Shana?" I asked anyways.

"Oh... You've met her?" I nodded for a third time. "Shana is... Well to be honest, I don't know her too well. She seems cool, but I don't know her well enough. They've been together for a few months now. She seems kinda clingy to me, but Paige sees something in her that none of us do, so I'll trust that she knows what she's doing." She replied honestly. We parked the car and she turned to face me, "You're cool with the whole gay thing, right? Most people here aren't too used to the gay thing, but it's a small town."

"Yup. Yeah. Cool." I answered quickly before opening the car door. I got out of the car, "Hey I gotta go to see the Coach, so I'll catch you in class!" I announced, leaving as fast as possible, slightly uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading. It was a little to soon to spill my secrets and I was the worst liar, so I left before she could sense something was off.

I immediately went straight to my locker to grab my books before heading off into the natatorium. Once I got there, I sat on the bleachers staring off into the pool. There was no one there but me and it was quite peaceful. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a girls voice, "Okay. Okay. Okay. I'll be there right after school. I promise."

There was a pause before she spoke again, "I was really busy yesterday! You know that my dad expects me to come straight home and get in the pool for at least an hour!"

There was another pause, "NO! I'm not saying that swimming is more important than you, but I need to be on my game. This is my last year to impress the scouts! You know that if I mess up then I can't get a scholarship and leave this damn town!"

At this point, it was obvious that she was on the phone. I looked over to the side and saw that it was Paige, probably on the phone with her girlfriend, "I know that you want me there, but I can only stretch myself so thin! I've got so much homework and my dad's on my ass all the time! I want to hang out with you, but I can't do that every fucking day!"

I heard a growl before I heard her scream, "FUCKING HELL!" She threw the phone down and it smashed into the ground. "Fuck me." She said in a lower voice as she realized that her phone was now obsolete. It was then that she noticed me sitting on the bleachers, "Are you fucking everywhere?!"

"Sorry," I apologized as I stood up and stepped down the bleachers. I got off the last step and was about to make my way out of the room when her voice stopped me.

"No. I'm sorry. You don't have to leave. You were her first. I didn't expect anyone to be here this early. I'm usually the only one here before class. She sat down on the bleachers right next to where I was standing blankly staring at her. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, it's just there's a lot of pressure on my lately. My dad's on my times and my girlfriend is on my lack of time with her. Sometimes I just wanna up and leave this place and go do something for myself for once." She took a deep breath in and sighed. I hesitantly took a seat by this stressed out swimmer, not knowing if she wanted me there or not. So far Paige was so hot and cold with me. At times it seems like she dislikes me, but then there are moments like these where she seemed like she wanted my company.

"You're a swimmer, are your folks always on your ass?" She asked, staring absently into the pool.

"Not really. My ma is always supportive of what I want to do, and my dad really isn't around much to play a part in what I do." I replied honestly.

She looked at me for the first time in minutes, "Really? What's he up to?" She inquired.

"He's in the Army. It plays a big part in his life." It was my turn to sigh at the thought of my father, "I know he loves me and everything, but it sucks for him to be gone all the time.

She laughed dryly, "Really, I wish my dad was gone for often." I suppose she processed what she just said to me and corrected herself immediately, "I didn't mean it like that. You must be worried about him and miss him all the time."

"Yeah, I do. But it makes the times I do have with him, more important. Makes me never take him for granted."

We both silently stared at the pool, just enjoying the quiet company for another few minutes before the first bell rang, "Sorry, I must have been bothering you with my rants and questionings." Yeah, times like these where she sweet and not competitive.

"No worries. Just because I don't have a father and a girlfriend on my every move, doesn't mean that I don't know how you feel every once in a while." I said while getting to my feet, "We better get to class. Can't be late for my second day." She smiled and it brightened up her face. I could get used to this smile.

"Yeah. First impressions are everything. Which takes me to my first impression. I'm really sorry for how I acted yesterday. I can get a little carried away sometimes and it makes it hard to think about how I treat others." I nod, silently accepting her apology, as we made our way out of the natatorium and to Mr. Fitz's classroom.

We entered the classroom and chose a pair of desks pushed together towards the back of the room, to occupy. Shortly after, the tardy bell rang and the young teacher grabbed our attention. "Alright class! I see that everyone got the idea that they should have sat with their partners. Those who didn't and sat next to their friends in this obviously set up room, you fail. Leave now..." He laughed at his joke lonesomely. I could see Aria giggle softly while shaking her head at him, before he continued, "Okay. This is a cold audience, but that's okay. Let's move on." He passed out a packet of papers to the front of the class and they all passed it back to those of us behind them, "Lord of the Flies! You have the books! You should have started the books. These are the instruction sheets on what you are to do and sitting around class all period gossiping about Ryan Gosling isn't one of them. You are to work with your partners for the next eight class periods and you will have to present to the whole class at the end of next week. Any questions, take them up with me or Alice, my class assistant." He walked back over his his desk and took a seat, leaving the rest of the class to gossip.

"So how far along are you?" Paige asked while flipping through the instruction sheets.

"Uh... page... uhh... two?" Her laughter fills the air in our little corner. I could get used to that too.

"Well that's about deux pages more than me, so you got me beat... again," she said with a lighter laugh. "We could spend study hall, next period, reading if you want." She suggested.

"How do you know I have study hall next?" I asked, surprised.

"Er.. I have it with you..." She looked at me with a quirked eyebrow, "Damn Fields! When you are in the zone, you really don't take your surroundings in, do you? Besides, most of us senior swimmers who are on track, practically have the same schedule. It makes it easier to place us in P.E. for sixth, so we can go straight to swimming after." She explained, thoroughly, "But yeah, we don't have to spend our study hall in that particular classroom. Mr. Carlson is real old and he's about to retire at the end of the year. He won't notice, much less care if we skip out."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." I accepted.

We spent the rest of the period reading silently before the bell rang and we were excused to attend our next classes. We both parted ways and went to our respective lockers to put away everything but our book. We met up by the front office like we agreed upon sometime earlier in class. "So where are we going?" I asked curiously. She nodded towards a door nearby and walked towards it. I followed her silently waiting to find out where we were headed. She surveyed the area around us and when she saw that we were truly alone, she opened the door to reveal a set of stairs. She held the door open and gestured me in, closing the door once we were both inside. I followed her up the three flights of stairs that led to a door. On the other side of the door was the rooftop with a couple of chairs by the edge.

"This is my safe haven away from the pool. My best friend, Spencer, and I found it freshman year when we were trying to find a place to hide from the hustle and bustle of the school." She explained to me as we took our seats. "I go here when life just gets too much."

I stared out into the town. "Wow... You can see everything from here!" I exclaimed, awestruck. "I used to have a place like this in California. Went there when my family or my relationship was getting on me." I opened up to her. "It's nice and comforting to have an oasis away from your life. I spent a lot of time there in my last few months. My ma telling me that it was time to leave my home. When my dad said that he wasn't coming this time. When I found out that the person I was dating was cheating on me, because they thought it was pointless to stay faithful when I was about to leave anyways."

She looked at me and I swear that she was staring straight into my soul, "What's her name?"

My eyes locked with hers when she asked the question, "Her? H-H-How did you know?" I stuttered.

Paige smirked, "It's not hard to find something out when you know what you're searching for."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Well first of all, when you are in the locker rooms, you change quickly without looking up at any of the girls, so that means you don't want anyone to notice that you are looking at them. Second, I've seen you three days and every one of those three days you were wearing some sort of plaid. Third when you talked about her you used the word person and they. I know assuming makes an ass out of you and me, but my gaydar is impeccable. Admit it. You are gay."

I was amazed, she was the first person who caught on. I wasn't going to let it show though, so I turned the tables on her. "So you've been watching me, huh?"

She instantly blushed and looked down, avoiding my eyes, "I- er- uh-. Not many new people in town, so when someone new arrives, I just take notice. Don't think too much of it, Fields." There she goes again – calling me Fields.

We were quiet for a while staring into the town, while I thought of my ex-girlfriend. "Maya," I finally answered.

"Huh?" She asked placing her gaze on me once again.

"Miss Unfaithful. Her name was Maya. Maya St. Germain."

"Oh." She said so quietly that I barely caught it.

"We were together for about two years and I thought that we were in love. No. We were in love." I continued, putting emphasis on the word 'were'. "I thought that we were really going for the long run. Even when I knew that I was leaving, I foolishly thought that she was going to wait for me to come back next year. We had planned it all. I was going to stay here for the year and head back to California for college. She pulled me along too, letting me believe that she wanted it as well. I was so naive. Why would she wait for me?"

Paige looked at me with sad eyes and I held back tears as I gave her the play by play, "It happened on July 29th, a month before I left. At least that was when she was caught. It was a Saturday and we were supposed to go out that night. I was missing her because she was busy with her 'family' all week and I was spending as much time with my dad as I could. I left my house early because I wanted to surprise her. I entered through the back door, like I always did and went up the stairs. There was loud music coming from her room, so she didn't hear me knocking. I opened the door and found her there. Between some girl's legs." The tears were now free falling from my eyes, "She turned around and saw me but didn't come after me like I expected her to. She didn't even care enough to come after me!" I was now close to yelling, as I pulled out my phone. I opened up my text messages and handed my phone to a very attentive Paige. "She sent me this message later on that night"

Our break-up was inevitable. I'm just sorry you had to find out that way. - Maya

She read the message softly to herself and looked back at me pityingly. For the first time since I started she spoke, "I'm sorry. That really must have been heartbreaking. But you deserve much better than that bitch. Life has much more in store for you." She smiled at me and it warmed my heart.

We were silent doing nothing but staring off into the distance for the longest while, until the sound of the door slamming close startled us. "PAIGE MCCULLERS! You said that you were gonna meet me during your study period! I've been looking for you for the past twenty minutes!" Shana chastised.

Paige immediately stood up, "Sorry. I forgot. Emily and I were figuring out our project." She walked towards her girlfriend and looked back at me apologetically. She waved and left me alone on the roof as she walked through the door.

I sat there pulling myself together for my next class when my phone beeped.

Your secret is safe with me, Fields. :) - Paige

I almost forgot that we had exchanged numbers for the project earlier. I smiled at the text and sat there for the rest of the period, contemplating my new found friendship.

I unlocked my phone and started texting my best friend as I left the roof to head to my next class.

Her name is Paige. - Ems


End file.
